1. Accessibility Resource Center (ARC)

Lamar University values access and inclusion for all students. The ARC supports access for students with disabilities by offering a variety of accommodations, resources, and auxiliary aids. Accommodations and other support services are determined through an interactive process to connect students with the best possible access to university activities, services, resources and other Lamar University-sponsored events. General accommodations available include but are not limited to: extended test time, distraction-reduced testing environments, note-taking, alternative formats, assistive technology, sign language interpreters, closed captioning, CART or communication access real-time and physical access. The ARC also works with students for different types of housing accommodations. Other accommodations may be provided upon request.

To apply and receive accommodations, students must have a documented disability and complete the registration process with the ARC. Once accepted and enrolled at the university, students will first complete an Accommodation Request Form that can be found on the ARC’s website at www.lamar.edu/ARC. After submitting the form, students will then need to schedule an intake appointment. Documentation will be needed to establish a disability and should support accommodation requests as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the "ADA Amendments Act of 2008" including section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Accommodations and adjustments will be determined during the intake appointment based on a student's disability documentation, self-report, past experience with accommodations and any other necessary supporting information.

The ARC is located in the Communication building, suite 105. Students or guests can contact the ARC by calling (409) 880-8347, by e-mail at ARC@lamar.edu or by visiting in person. Additional information is available on the ARC website.

2. Military and Veteran Affairs

Veterans Affairs is an integral part of the Office of Student Aid. Our goal is to provide the pertinent information required of our VA students and family members utilizing education benefits through the Active Duty Tuition Assistance Program, VA Educational Assistance Programs, and the Texas Hazlewood Exemption Act.

To ensure timely processing of student benefits, we encourage students to submit all required documentation to our office via our online forms options by the term priority deadline. Students who have met all qualifications and have submitted all required documents to our office will have their benefits processed by the first day of class. Students may still submit and receive their benefit after the priority date, however, students applying for the Hazlewood Exemption, Active Duty Tuition Assistance, Chapter 30, or Chapter 35 will need to make payment arrangements to meet all necessary payment deadlines.

VA Education Benefits

Term	Priority Deadline
Fall	July1
Spring	December 1
Summer	May1
Minis	At the time of Registration

Title 38 United States Code 3679(e) School Compliance

Students receiving educational assistance under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or Chapter 33, Post 9/11 GI Bill®* benefits, and who have submitted all qualifying documentation to receive the benefit to the Veterans Affairs team prior to the published term Census Day will have a payment hold placed on their account during the processing of the benefit. With the confirmation of eligibility, this hold allows attendance to all registered courses while the benefit is processed with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Qualifying documentation (to include a Certificate of Eligibility, Statement of Benefits obtained from Ebenefits, or VRE Authorization/Purchase Order)  must be submitted online via the Certification Request Form once registered for classes. Students who receive Chapter 30, Montgomery GI Bill®, or Chapter 35, Dependents Education Assistance Program do not qualify for a payment hold through the Veterans Affairs office and are required to make payment arrangements or seek other funding opportunities to meet payment deadlines set in place by the Cashier’s Office.

Further information may be found by visiting the Student Aid Office on the second floor of the Wimberly building, by reviewing our website, or by calling (409) 880-7198.

*GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

3. University Writing Center

The University Writing Center is an academic support service that provides all students with free face-to-face or online writing consultations. With two locations -  one on the first floor of the Mary and John Gray Library and the other on the first floor of Morris Hall - and staff who are both graduate and undergraduate students, the Writing Center assists students with their writing for any course by guiding students through the entire writing process. The Writing Center provides personalized consulting in the following areas: understanding the assignment, brainstorming, organizing ideas, revising, editing, and interpreting the graded paper. Our writing conferences actively engage students in identifying and addressing their writing needs so that students improve their composition practices and skills and learn to apply them to various writing tasks and purposes. In the interest of academic integrity, consultants neither edit nor in any other way correct students' papers for them. Students may seek assistance with non-academic writing as well, such as graduate school applications and scholarship letters. Our consulting service is beneficial to students of all writing abilities, as any writer can benefit from the collaborative activity of a peer writing conference. To schedule an appointment, students can visit the Writing Center Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lamaruniversitywc or the main website at http://www.lamar.edu/writingcenter. The Writing Center seeks to encourage scholarly activity across campus and provides both independent and in-class workshops each semester in support of such activity. Both writing centers are equipped with MACs and PCs and assistive technology for student use.

Contact information for students: (409) 880-8571, UWC@lamar.edu.  

Contact information for faculty and staff: (409) 880-8587.

4. McNair Scholars Program

Location: COMM 106, (409) 880-7582, https://www.lamar.edu/mcnair/. The McNair Scholars Program is federally funded by the Department of Education to motivate and prepare first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students for the rigors of graduate school through involvement in undergraduate research, funded travel to professional conferences, academic workshops, and faculty mentoring. The goal of the program is ultimately to prepare students for success at the doctoral level and increase the number of Ph.Ds. from underrepresented groups.

5. Student Tutoring and Retention (STAR) Services

Location: COMM 109, (409) 880-7201, https://www.lamar.edu/student-tutoring-and-retention/. STAR Services provides guidance, resources, strategies, and information so students can strengthen their skills and achieve their educational and lifelong goals through tutoring, academic coaching, peer and professional mentoring, and workshops. Our programs include the LU Tutoring Center, the Physics Lab, the American Sign Language (ASL) Lab, the Computer Science Lab, Supplemental Instruction, LU Success Academic Coaching, Cardinal Communities, the Academic Success Conference, Success Ambassadors, and REDtalks. Please refer to our website for hours of operation and workshop schedules. Contact our office at STARS@lamar.edu for more information.

6. Undergraduate Advising Center

Freshmen and sophomores with fewer than 60 credit hours are advised in the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC). The UAC supports the mission of Lamar University by enhancing student development and success through exemplary service, collaboration, and support in academic advising. The UAC facilitates student success and engagement by advising, enrolling, tracking, and referring students to faculty, departments, support services, and activities. The UAC proactively assesses and responds to student needs as professional advisors meet multiple times each semester to formulate the appropriate plan for student success toward degree completion.

Students with over 60 credit hours meet with advisors within their academic major. Additional information about advising can be found at a https://www.lamar.edu/advising.

7. The Reaud Honors College

The Reaud Honors College integrates academic excellence, community involvement, and civic leadership. The College provides opportunities in academics, campus engagement, residential life, summer projects, and community service, with personal attention paid to the needs, interests, and aspirations of each individual student. Through regular strategic advisement with our students, we explore, refine, and develop their personal goals and assist them in engaging with realistic opportunities in their academic and professional lives such that they may achieve Reaud Honors College Graduate status and further their educational and professional aspirations beyond Lamar University.

Incoming first-year students must have a minimum SAT of 1260 (EBRW + math) or minimum ACT of 27 AND either a ranking in the top 10% of their high school graduating class or a GPA of 3.85 or higher in order to be considered for admission to the Reaud Honors College. You also must be TSI exempt. Transfer students or students already enrolled at Lamar must have a University GPA of at least 3.7 and at least 12 and no more than 45 academic credits to apply. Honors College students must have a GPA of 3.5 to maintain eligibility. Applications may be submitted online at https://www.lamar.edu/honors-college/apply-now/index.html. For more information call (409) 880-2294.

The Honors College offers enriched classes in most of the Core Curriculum courses, unique interdisciplinary Honors seminars and topics courses, enhanced courses in many majors, and opportunities for Independent Study and the Honors Thesis, as detailed below. All Honors College students, regardless of major, are encouraged to become Reaud Honors College Graduates by accruing 26 hours of honors credit (of which 8 hours must be at the upper level). All students must take two Honors seminars or one Honors Topics course. Students also participate in at least one high-impact educational practice or thesis (23 hours needed if doing a thesis) in the areas of undergraduate research/creative activity, diversity/global learning, internships/cooperative education, or service-learning. Reaud Honors College students are eligible for generous financial support through the McMaster Honors Scholarship, the Dr. Donna Birdwell Scholarship, as well as the Tom Jones Memorial Scholarship.

Within the University’s Core Curriculum, Lamar offers Honors sections in every Core Area as well as opportunities to petition for Honors credit in lower- and upper-level Honors-approved courses that are required in a significant array of student degree plans. Honors credit involves course assignments in addition to (or different from) the standard course. Students should consult with individual professors or the Honors Dean for details.

3000-4000 level honors credits can be earned in several ways:

1. through upper-level Honors courses and seminars,
2. through Honors Independent Study classes,
3. through adding an Honors Contract to an upper-level class, or
4. through the Honors Thesis.

HNRS 3161 Honors Seminar or one Honors Topics course (HNRS 4364 Honors Topics)are out-of-the box courses students take a combination of to earn honors credit. These unique, interdisciplinary courses are available only to Honors students and enable students to extend their studies beyond the traditional academic disciplines. Honors Independent Study (HNRS 3360 Honors Independent Study) provides the opportunity for students in any major to create a course of study that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Students often use this opportunity for independent research and creative endeavor. The Honors Contract may be used to individually enhance a course in the regular curriculum for Honors credit. Honors Thesis (HNRS 4360 Honors Thesis and HNRS 4361 Honors Thesis) permits students aiming at post-baccalaureate degrees to demonstrate clearly the ability to complete a major research/creative project. For all students, it provides the opportunity to pursue in-depth an area of study or research that is personally important or intriguing. Forms and guidelines for both of these options may be secured in the Reaud Honors College office or downloaded from its website.

Honors Student Life

Reaud Honors College students come from all over Texas, the United States, and even the world. They represent all five academic colleges at Lamar University and pursue a wide array of interests. Honors students are among the most active students on campus; they participate in the full range of student organizations, often serving in leadership roles. For all of their differences, however, Reaud Honors College students are united by the goal of getting more out of college by putting more into it.

The Honors Student Association (HSA) encourages participation in the cultural life of the campus and community and provides Honors students their own vehicle for organizing events and service activities and getting involved in campus life. The HSA meets monthly, and its elected officers serve as the official Student Advisory Board for the Reaud Honors College. The HSA regularly wins awards as one of the foremost student organizations on campus.

New students will be contacted by an Honors Peer Mentor – usually in their major – who can assist them in preparing for and successfully negotiating the transition from high school (or another College) to Lamar University. These seasoned Honors students are committed to making incoming students feel at home in the Lamar Honors community.

Reaud Honors College students are also able to stay in Scholars Tower, the Honors wing of Campbell Hall. For more information about Honors College activities, see https://www.lamar.edu/honors-college/.